Get in there and...

Today is the day, people.

The day to rid yourself of all that stuff that is holding you down.

All the pretty paper you knew you'd use one day.

All the colorful stickers.

All that ribbon and fiber and those eyelets and decorative scissors that haven't seen the light of day since 1998.  Box 'em up and move 'em out!

Purge. Pare down. Throw away.  Donate.   

It's time to get rid of all of it--and I challenge you to start.  NOW.

Here's the thing--when we have too much stuff, we cannot possibly begin to use it all.  And then the weight of too many things start to take its toll on us...it begins to stifle us in our creativity and soon we're wishing that either (a) thieves might break into our homes at night at take all of our scrapbook supplies or (b) someone might take a match to it all because seriously...it's easier to start over than to have to figure out a way to go through it all.  And still we buy--because manufacturers continue to make beautiful paper and needful embellishments.  Soon we have so many bags and boxes in our room that there's not even a path to the computer and you're afraid if your small child or pet happens in there they might be lost forever and a search party will be sent in and then the world will realize how you actually do live!!!!!!!!!!  {deep breath}

Don't worry--we all have to purge, whether you're a packrat like me or a neatfreak like my friend Kelly, who I swear buys things at the store and brings them home & immediately puts them in her garage sale pile. : )  No matter where you fall in this line, I'll bet you could use to spend a little time going through all your paper & stickers & rub ons and ridding yourself of all the clutter.

This is what I do--and I am by no means an expert, but I do have to find a way to be a little discerning about my purging...otherwise, I'll find a way to convince myself that I really do "need" that half-inch strip of Chatterbox Sunroom.  Or that I might use it when I make a baby book for a gift or layouts for my mom or mother-in-law--afterall, they won't care that it isn't the latest and greatest.  Except that I won't want to use anything other than my new stuff so there it all sits, gathering dust and making piles on top of the piles I already had.

My way to do things is to look at it and ask myself "If I saw this in the store for the first time today, would I buy it?"  If the answer is no, in the box it goes.  Pretty simple, right?  Be honest with yourself and also think about if you were shopping at your yard sale--don't put things that are broken or practically used beyond their life on the sale.  I know I wouldn't like it if I had to sift through trash to find one good thing...in fact, I'd give up before I'd do that.

Or if I have more than one of any item (like packages of brads, for example) I only need one.  The rest go into a box to donate.

Stickers got a little tricky when the whole "mix & match" alphabet craze hit the scene but again, I try to be honest with myself about whether or not I would purchase it if I saw it new in a store.  I have been scrapbooking long enough and I'm now comfortable enough with my own style to know what kinds of fonts I like and what colors I will or will not use--no matter how cute or how colorful, if it isn't black, brown or white or in a classic type font, I probably won't use it.  I know this about myself and that knowledge is helpful when purging my stash.

Ribbon & fiber can easily get out of control.  I use embroidery floss cards and wind the ribbon onto them and then store them by color in floss boxes.  It's easy to see what I want and the rainbow of colors & patterns are happy to look at.

Since buying the Zutter, I've pared down my album stash--I know that I won't use those 7Gypsies minis again so there's no need in keeping them around.  And when it comes to stamps, if I haven't used them in the past year, they're outta here.  Ink--the same thing.  Idea books and magazines are probably the easiest thing for me to rid myself of--I only keep the ones from the past twelve months and those I'm published in.  If there's a layout in particular that I love in a magazine, I tear it out and keep those in a binder.  It may feel strange to rip pages out of a book but you know what?  I bought it.  It's mine to tear out pages from.  And I'd rather have one little page than an entire heavy book.

Okay--so now that you have a huge stack of no-longer needed things...now what?

Oh my gosh--this is the best part! : )

You can do so many things--you can prepare it all for a garage sale and make some money so you can buy new items.  Check with your LSS--sometimes they have a garage sale once or twice a year where you can sell items at the store, who will in turn give you store credit.

You can donate it to a local children's hospital.

Or to a Girl Scout troop.

To your church's Sunday School.  To Make-A-Wish.  To a charity who holds a scrapbook garage sale at their scrapbooking event each fall.  (Please LMK if you'd like a name & address to ship to.)

It feels great to be rid of all that stuff and the recipient of your goods will be so appreciative.  You know what they say:  One man's trash...

ETA:  I didn't even touch on recycling--which I'm all about.  Contact your public library to see if they can use your older (but not ancient) idea books and mags.  They may also have a die cut machine and would possibly like your larger paper scraps to use with it.  And whatever can't be donated or sold, throw into your recycle bin.  I know that my recycle center doesn't take glass but whatever else I have (paper, plastic, aluminum, etc) is fair game.  To be completely honest, the only thing I throw in the regular garbage can is diapers and beer bottles--everything else can & should be recycled. 

And then, when you've finished this session of fall cleaning you'll feel content.  Relieved.  INSPIRED.  Your mojo will return and you'll want to scrap.  Best of all, you'll know where everything is located in your room so your pages will come together at a much faster rate--no more spending valuable time searching for items you are sure you bought but can't seem to find.

I'd love it if you'd take a moment and share with us your organizational tips and tricks--I know I can always use a little extra motivation in this department!  One final thought:  "Having storage is not the same as being organized." 

Happy Scrapping Purging!  : )

xoxo,

Becca

 

Comments

[Stephanie Ainsburg]

good one. I'm on it.

[Michelle LaPoint Rydell]

OMG you have totally inspired me! I love your idea of deciding if you would buy something now if you saw it at the store! That is FABULOUS! When I get back from my trip I'm going to start on this right away! Thanks for the inspiration Becca!

xo
Michelle aka ravenea

[Amy Tangerine]

Becca- you rock!
this is amazing!

[Michelle (mybelle101)]

LOVE this, Becca! I've been looking at my desk thinking 'there is way too much junk in here, I don't even *feel* like fighting it to make something', and you've given me that push to GET STARTED! Thank you!!